One herb too many at Mill Valley KFC

An employee at a Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet in Mill Valley was arrested for allegedly selling a substance not included in Col. Sanders' 11 secret herbs and spices.

After a customer complained of receiving two bags of marijuana instead of extra biscuits, Marin County sheriff's deputies set up a sting that led to the arrest of a KFC employee on Friday.

Carlos Leonel Ayala, 26, of Vallejo was arrested on his way to work Friday at the KFC at 515 Miller Ave., according to the Marin County Sheriff's Department. He had a loaded handgun, a small amount of marijuana and $500 in cash in his possession, deputies said.

Authorities also searched Ayala's home in Vallejo and the fast-food restaurant but would not reveal whether they found anything illegal. Employees at the Miller Avenue KFC declined comment Saturday.

At the KFC outlet where he worked, drive-up customers would order food by talking into a intercom. Then an employee, often Ayala, would take the order to the customer's car and receive payment.

"We believe that he was selling marijuana to customers who used the right slang term" as code, said Sheriff's Sgt. Tim Lepinski of the Marin County Major Crimes Task Force.

The investigation was prompted after an unwitting customer asked for extra biscuits with an order of fried chicken and was handed two baggies of marijuana instead, the sergeant said. The outraged customer, whose name was not released, returned the drugs to the employee, renewed his demand for extra biscuits and called Mill Valley police, who referred the case to the task force.

Undercover law enforcement personnel were able to obtain marijuana repeatedly from Ayala, making most of their buys during school hours. The restaurant is near Tamalpais High School and draws many students at lunchtime or after school.